The Army’s new regulations regarding basic allowance for housing paperwork, meant to crack down on fraud, could end up screwing thousands of soldiers out of additional BAH funds for dependents, a branch spokesman told Military.com on Aug. 31.

Frequent relocation is one of the realities of military life. While some families choose to live on base housing, others prefer the freedom to use their housing allowance to find a home off-post. When you change stations, it’s very important to watch out for scammers off base who may be looking to prey on unwitting service members who are trying to relocate quickly.

Several people have already pointed out that it would be an injustice for the Senate to pass a National Defense Authorization Act cutting dual-military married couples’ basic allowance for housing. On closer examination, it’s even worse than it sounds. Its second- and third-order effects demonstrate how difficult it is to tinker with entitlements, and serves as an object lesson in how not to do it. It reaps moderate financial gains by placing a significant pay cut onto a very small segment of military families, concentrating on the ranks that make the least money. It also has a disproportionate effect on women and creates an environment so hostile to military couples that it would almost certainly debilitate diversity and retention efforts.